September Book Update

I liked the way I kept track of my book reading last year, so I'm going to do something similar this year - just monitor books in and out, without any pressure to declutter or read things in order, etc. I'm once again setting a goal to read 100 books in the year - I read 102 in 2018. Otherwise, my only goal is to keep reading and keep enjoying books!

In January: books read: 9; books out: 2; books in: 5; books on windowsill: 59
In February: books read: 10; books out: 0; books in: 0; books on windowsill: 54
In March: books read: 4; books out: 0; books in: 0; books on windowsill: 52
In April: books read: 6; books out: 4; books in: 2; books on windowsill: 48
In May: books read: 10; books out: 0; books in: 3; books on windowsill: 48

In June: books read: 9; books out: 0; books in: 0; books on windowsill: 46
In July: books read: 2; books out: 0; books in: 0; books on windowsill: 46
In August: books read: 16; books out: 0; books in: 2; books on windowsill: 47
In September: books read: 5; books out: 0; books in: 6; books on windowsill: 51

September didn't start with much reading, as we were moving my mother into her new apartment after our long road trip, and I was way too tired to read much in the evenings... But it got a bit better once I got back home and into a routine.

• I read a book on the plane trip back to London (Watchers of Time, Charles Todd)
• I bought a book in the airport in Phoenix in case I was stuck without one on the plane (Clock Dance, Anne Tyler)
• I read two of the books from my shelf (March by Geraldine Brooks, Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman)
• I re-read a children's classic we had in the house (The Neverending Story by Michael Ende)
• I read another in the Inspector Montalbano series (The Snack Thief, Andrea Camilleri)
• I treated myself to some books at Waterstones in Brighton when I took Sarah back to uni - I had a voucher from the end of the school year (one of those multi-shop ones), so I didn't actually spend any money, which is fun...

Here's the updated list of Books to Read in 2019. These are the books hanging out on my windowsill upstairs, waiting to be read. Or discarded. But hopefully, read. I started the year with 60 books on this list - you can see how long the books have been knocking around by the dates in brackets.

1. Ford Maddox Ford, Parade's End (Nov 2012 - birthday present - bought after the BBC adaptation - but I knew I wouldn't read it straight away as I wanted to let time pass from the adaptation.  Enough time has probably passed now...)
2. Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South
3. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (would be a re-read, bought shortly after his death - spring 2014 - as I was reminded how much I enjoyed it and I didn't seem to own a copy - think my old one fell apart, probably...) 
4. Daphne du Maurier, Frenchman's Creek (Waterstones Piccadilly - 2016? bought in principle for the girls, but thought I might read it again as it's been ages)
5. Daphne du Maurier, Jamaica Inn (Waterstones Piccadilly - 2016? bought in principle for the girls, but thought I might read it again as it's been ages)
6. Susan Barker, The Incarnations (charity shop, July 2016)
7. Orhan Pamuk. A Strangeness in Mind (Christmas present 2016)
8. Andrew Taylor, The Ashes of London (passed to me by Geoff after he read it, April 2017)
9. Mark Haddon (Introduction), States of Mind: Experiences at the Edge of Consciousness (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
10. John Irving, Avenue of Mysteries  (Waterstones Piccadilly, April 2017)
11. Mikhail Bulgokov, The Master and Margarita (charity shop, April 2017)
12. Jane Smiley, Early Warning (Abe Books, May 2017, after finishing the first in the series)
13. Siri Hustvedt, A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women (Waterstones Wimbledon, July 2017)
14. Lucy Worsley, A Very British Murder (Waterstones Oxford, August 2017)
15. Sebastian Barry, Days without End (Abe Books, January 2018)
16. Arundhati Roy, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness (passed to me by Geoff, Feb 2018)
17. Bella Pollen, Hunting Unicorns (Kingston Hospital Charity Bookshelf, March 2018)
18. Sebastian Faulkes, A Week in December (Charity Shops, March 2018)
19. Jose Saramago, Blindness (Lisbon, April 2018)
20. Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake (passed on by Geoff, April 2018)
21. Spark, Alice Broadway (Waterstones Wimbledon, April 2018)
22. The Mime Order, Samantha Shannon (Abe Books, May 2018)
23. Salt to the Sea, Ruta Sepetys  (Waterstones Picadilly, July 2018)
24. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (charity shop, July 2018)
25. The Murderer's Ape, Jakob Wegelius (Waterstones Wimbledon, August 2018)
26. Even the Dogs, Jon McGregor (Abebooks, Sept 2018)
27. Islands in the Stream, Ernest Hemingway (Abebooks, Sept 2018)
28. Throne of Glass, Sarah J Maas (Waterstones Wimbledon, October 2018)
29. The Mistletoe Bride, Kate Mosse (charity shop, November 2018)
30. Milkman, Anna Burns (Waterstones online, December 2018)
31. Hillbilly Elegy, J D Vance (Waterstones Piccadilly, December 2018)
32. Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi (Christmas present, 2018)
33. Theft, Peter Carey (charity shop, January 2019)
34. The Crossing, Cormac McCarthy (charity shop, January 2019)
35. Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman (Waterstones Wimbledon, January 2019)
36. Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng (Waterstones Wimbledon, January 2019)
37. And the Mountains Echo, Khaled Hosseini (charity shop, Harborne, April 2019)
38. Kate Atkinson, Transcription (Waterstones Wimbledon, May 2019)
39. Laini Taylor, Muse of Nightmares  (Waterstones Wimbledon, May 2019)
40. Emily St John Mandel, Last Night in Montreal  (Waterstones Wimbledon, May 2019)
41. The Case for Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro (AbeBooks, June 2019)
42. The Red Queen by Christina Henry (Waterstones online, June 2019)
43. The Venetian Masquerade by Philip Gwynne Jones (Waterstones online, June 2019)
44. The Last Picture Show, Larry McMurtry (used book store, Laurel MD, August 2019)
45. The Reef, Edith Wharton (used book store, Laurel MD, August 2019)
46. Clock Dance, Anne Tyler (Phoenix Airport, Sept 2019)
47. Unsheltered, Barbara Kingsolver (Waterstones Brighton, Sept 2019)
48. The Wedding, Dorothy West  (Waterstones Brighton, Sept 2019)
49. Once Upon a River, Diane Setterfield  (Waterstones Brighton, Sept 2019)
50. Tamar, Mal Peet  (Waterstones Brighton, Sept 2019)
51. Fresh Water, Akwaeke Emezi (Waterstones Brighton, Sept 2019)

Dinner, 30/9/19: Tuna, Baked Potato, Peas

Book 72: The Snack Thief, Andrea Camilleri

Another in the Inspector Montalbano series. These are fun (if murder mysteries can be fun) - quite light in tone, if frequently dark in theme. 

Dinner, 29/9/19: Spare ribs, mashed potato, spinach

Sarah is back to uni tomorrow, so this is her last meal at home; she chose spare ribs. My two daughters are very different in their food tastes (though alike in both liking a wide variety of cuisines). 

Books in

Did a bit of book shopping in Waterstones in Brighton yesterday, when we took Sarah back to uni.  I had a voucher - one of those multi-shop ones - from my class from the end of the year last year, so I was able to treat myself to these, plus one for Sarah for her birthday and a couple of children's titles for my classroom (which I will of course read first) without actually spending any money. The only thing better than buying new books is buying new books without spending money. That and maybe unlimited time to read new books, but let's be at least a little realistic.

Year Long Declutter, week 39 (556 items total)

Book 71: The Neverending Story, Michael Ende

I'm sure I read this book way back in the dim days of my childhood, but it was nice that I remembered very little of it (and I've seen the film, too, of course - way back in the day).  We were talking about it in the context of classic old fantasy films (Having rewatched the Dark Crystal in prep for watching the prequel) and I thought, I should read that again.  Still a great kids' story.

Dinner, 25/9/19: Burgers, Sweetcorn, Potato Waffles

This was a little bit of a using things up meal - the veggie burgers (the guys had beef burgers) and the potato waffles were both things which people moving out of Sarah's flat at the end of the uni term had left - unopened boxes. She didn't want to waste them, so she brought them home, but it's taken us a while to get around to using them (unfortunately, Liv can't eat the burgers because they all have gluten in them, otherwise, I'm sure they would have been eaten sooner).  I put some cheese on my burger, but you wouldn't have to, of course! I like a good veggie burger myself, but we just hadn't worked them into the rotation yet...  The corn is from our veggie box, though.  Last corn of the year (on the cob). 

Dinner, 24/9/19: Parsnip & Leek Soup, biscuits

A glut of parsnips is never a problem.   We had some chicken stock from the roast chicken the other night, but vegetarians could easily use vegetable stock, as I would have done had I not wanted to make use of the carcase from the roast.  I did put some cream in the soup, though, for richness.

Dinner, 23/9/18: Cold chicken, oven potatoes, salad

Leftovers. Yum.

Book 70: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman

Second in the series - the third isn't out until November. Dang.

Dinner, 22/9/19: Vegan Lancashire Hotpot

A firm family favourite. Yum.

Year Long Declutter, week 38 (542 items total)

Some more things from Sarah's room - bags and wallets which are no longer in use, plus a bunch of notebooks. Off to the charity shop for most of them, or the recycling if they aren't reusable.

Dinner, 21/9/19: Roast Chicken, roast potatoes, cabbage

We don't eat a huge amount of meat in our house, and I'm trying to improve our meat consumption even more by buying organic or local or otherwise in a more ethical fashion. The advantage to this, beyond environmental considerations is that the meat we do eat just tastes so much better...

Dinner, 20/9/19: Spanakopita, Cucumber Salad

Spanakopita (Greek spinach pie) is a regular feature in our house, but this time, we added a few other things to the filling, inspired by a Thomasina Miers recipe. I put in some leeks and also, we had a bit of Swiss chard hanging around. And I added some spinach as well - verdict:  definitely worth doing as the texture was really improved over spinach alone. Yum.

Dinner, 18/9/19: Smoked Haddock, Romanesco, Oven Potatoes

I have of course seen Romanesco broccoli before, but I've never eaten it - we had one in our veggie box this week, so we decided to just roast it in the oven, cut up into florets. It was excellent. Kind of like what you'd expect - a bit like cauliflower, a bit like broccoli - but also, not exactly like either.  Really lovely, though - I'm hoping for another one soon!

Dinner, 17/9/19: Black Kale Bruschetta, Flageolet Bean and Roasted Veg Salad, etc

This was a meal inspired by all the various veg we had in the fridge that wanted using. The black kale bruschetta (which has a little mascarpone and hard cheese grated into it) idea was in the Riverford leaflet and was excellent - will definitely try that again.  You could easily make that a vegan dish by using a plant cream with the kale.  The bean salad is from a Bean cookbook I have, though I left the aubergine out as we ate aubergine recently, and added mushrooms instead. 

Book 69: March, Geraldine Brooks

I've read many of Geraldine Brooks' titles and enjoyed all I've read, except The Secret Chord, which I found a bit ponderous. This one was loosely based around the character of Mr March from Little Women, with a healthy dose of the reality of the Alcott family, as well. Definitely up to the standard I had come to expect. 

Dinner, 16/9/19: Swede Laksa

Spicy soup with rice noodles and roasted swede and shallots. Yum. 

Year Long Declutter, week 37 (528 items total)

These are all clothes from Sarah's room, which she doesn't wear any more for various reasons. All off to new homes either in the charity shop or with friends.

Dinner, 14/9/19: Burnt Aubergine Veggie Chili

Olivia chose this for her last meal at home before heading back to uni - it's an excellent veggie chili - the aubergine, which is charred first, adds an amazing, smoky, depth of flavour. All the kids like this, despite the dreaded aubergine. Yum. 

Dinner, 13/9/19: Green Bean, Halloumi and Potato Tray Bake

We had lots of runner beans in our veggie box this week, and a bit of a potato glut in the house, so this was a good way to use them up. It was really tasty and incredibly simple. The beans in particular were very nice cooked in the oven like this. We also had a nice salad alongside. Yum!

Dinner, 11/9/19: Cajun Spiced Potato Wedges with Roast Veg & Chickpeas

Yes, it's true - most of my meals since returning from the US have been composed almost entirely from veggies (and a few starches thrown in) - it's such a relief! These potato wedges were really nice, with the spices and the piece of lemon. We'll definitely have them again.

Dinner, 10/9/19: Vegetable Stir Fry with Cashews and Noodles

A standby - we used buckwheat udon noodles this time in deference to Olivia, who is still struggling with gluten intolerance (we are pretty sure that's what it is). Poor thing!

Dinner, 9/9/19: Sweet Potato and Spinach Curry

From the cookbook There's a Vegan in the House; tasty, and very simple!

Dinner, 8/9/19: Minestrone

What better way to use up half a cabbage?

Year Long Declutter (514 items total)

More random things from Sarah's room here - some clothing items, some other stuff. Most bound for the charity shop.

Book 68: The Watchers of Time, Charles Todd

This is a book I picked up at my mother's house from the ones she wasn't keeping to take with her. Thought it might make a good airplane read, despite being partway through a series, and it was good - I'm going to go back and pick up the rest of the series and see how it develops. 

Dinner, 7/9/19: Pasta with Pancetta and Artichokes (and salad)

Dinner, 6/9/19: Courgette & Halloumi Skewers; Potato & Cabbage Cakes

Nice to come home to someone else cooking, and cooking with vegetables. 

Dinner, 4/9/19: Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

Like a burger, only with a big mushroom - this was excellent, cooked just right and the beetroot salad on the side was really nice as well, with golden and red beetroot. 

Dinner, 3/9/19: Enchiladas Verde (for me)

Dinner at the Barrio Cafe, which is an awesome Mexican place in Phoenix - not TexMex, but real Mexican. I've eaten here once before and the food is always superb.  I had enchiladas verde - cheese filled enchiladas with a green sauce and an egg on top. Plus courgettes, squash and onion on the side. Yum. And though it's not in the photo (which has my SIL's chicken dish and my brothers mole) we also had an excellent corn starter - roasted corn with garlic, butter, cheese, spices - I could have eaten a whole plate of that.

Year Long Declutter, week 35 (500 items total)

More stuff from Sarah's room - some cookbooks, some clothes, some miscellany.  Most bound for the charity shop.

August Roundup

WHAT WAS  FOR DINNER, AUGUST 2019

Obviously, I've never in my life had a month gone by when I've eaten out so much - extenuating circumstances, of course. It will be nice to get home to actual cooking, I have to say, even if I'm the one doing it!

• 31st: US Holiday (lunch on the road: Buffalo Bar and Grill)
• 30th: US Holiday (lunch on the road: Whataburger)
• 29th: US Holiday (lunch on the road: Cracker Barrel)
• 28th: US Holiday (lunch on the road: Southern Kitchen)
• 27th: US Holiday (pizza from freezer at Mom's, last night!)
• 26th: US Holiday (Lunch out at Phillips)
• 25th: US Holiday (Ledo's Pizza)
• 24th: US Holiday (chicken & potatoes)
• 23rd: US Holiday (salads from Cava)
• 22nd: US Holiday (dinner at Double T Diner)
• 21st: US Holiday (dinner out with Mom's friends)
• 20th: US Holiday (dinner out at Pasta Plus)
• 19th: US Holiday (BBQ on way home from Road Trip to Luray)
• 18th: US Holiday (Pasta Genovese)
• 17th: US Holiday (lunch with a friend, leftovers for dinner)
• 16th: US Holiday (dinner out at concert, subs)
• 15th: US Holiday (Spicy macaroni cheese & ground beef casserole)
• 14th: US Holiday (Lunch out at Ledo's)
• 13th: US Holiday (Lunch out at Great Sage)
• 12th: US Holiday (Macaroni cheese with veggie burgers)
• 11th: US Holiday (brunch out at IHOP, dinner out at Mi Casita)
• 10th: US Holiday (Potluck at friends')
• 9th: US Holiday (tuna melts)
• 8th: US Holiday (salad with chicken/veggie sausage)
• 7th: US Holiday (dinner out at Iron Bridge Wine Company)
• 6th: US Holiday (Howard County Fair)
• 5th: US Holiday (Ravioli with Sausage Sauce)
• 4th: US Holiday (Brunch out at Victoria Gastropub)
• 3rd: US Holiday (lunch out at Cava)
• 2nd: US Holiday (pizza out)
• 1st: US Holdiay (leftovers, ice cream)